How Willow's Garden is helping to make this beach resort more sustainable

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many people were forced to stay inside their homes. But for some, the lockdown presented an opportunity to start a new project—one that would help them get through the difficult times. This is the story of Willow’s Garden, a self-sustainable oasis that started as a spice garden on the grounds of Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort in Vietnam to help offset the vegetable shortage during the lockdown.

travel-asia-now-Willows-Garden-Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort — What started as a spice garden to make up for the lack of vegetables during the COVID-19 lockdown has turned into a self-sustainable half-acre space called ‘Willow’s Garden’ at Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort.

How the Willows Garden initiative started

The team at the beachfront resort on Vietnam’s southern coastline started the project small last year, with just a few fast-growing vegetables and spices for use in the staff canteen during the pandemic. Now that the lockdown is over, this garden is blossoming into something even more amazing!

Willows Garden has grown into a half-acre space teeming with fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers—all free from chemicals and additives. It is now home to some 15 types of fruit ranging from coconut, grapefruit, lime, lemon, pomegranate and passionfruit to jackfruit, mango, guava, soursop, and clementine.

Vegetables include Malabar spinach, collard greens, bitter gourd, amaranth, luffa, cucumber, water morning glory, tomato, and Thai eggplant. Chili, ginger, rosemary, heartleaf, basil, dill, mint, saw leaves, fragrant knotweed, scallion, coriander, chives, and cilantro are among the herbs thriving in the garden, which is also brightened up with sunflowers, daisies, and wild cosmos.

“From small things, big things grow, and grow quickly,” said the resort’s general manager Alvaro Berton. “We expect to develop a specialized menu embracing a plant-to-plate philosophy in our restaurants, and we are setting up a program that gives our guests the chance to cultivate their own mini-garden at home by learning the fruitful tips and tricks deployed by our staff.”

Muoi restaurant’s Cook & Dine cooking class allows guests to pick fresh ingredients from the resort’s garden and then use them to craft their own dishes. The resort is also planning a range of fun gardening activities for guests, such as painting pots, flower puzzles, leaf crafts, and making herb-infused essential oils.

travel-asia-now-self-sustainable-resort-vietnam-Willows-Garden-Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort — *Join Muoi restaurant’s “Cook & Dine” cooking class and explore the garden to find fresh ingredients for your dish. After you’ve crafted it, you can indulge in your creation.*

Willow’s Garden aims to become more sustainable by implementing a hydroponic set-up to grow pesticide-free vegetables, using collected rainwater to reduce the strain on local resources, and composting waste for organic fertilizer. Currently, the resort uses lakes throughout the property to water Willow’s Garden and the many trees and plants that cover 60% of the resort grounds. These include coconut, frangipani, palm, butterfly palm, and Bougainvillea trees.

*The garden surrounds a lake, which also makes for a picturesque spot.*

Sustainable practices at Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort

This eco-conscious resort in Vietnam does its part for the environment by implementing eco-friendly initiatives, such as the self-sustainable garden and plans for a plant-to-plate menu. It also cuts down on its carbon footprint by sourcing produce locally from farmers and eliminating single-use plastics. Some of the ways it’s done this are by using recycled glass water bottles and wheat straws instead of plastic straws.

The resort reduces energy, food, and paper waste through various measures and technologies across its grounds, including in its accommodations, kitchens, and offices. It also offers sustainable ‘Power Meeting’ packages for MICE planners.

The resort’s ‘Soap for Hope’ project, in collaboration with hygiene and cleaning solutions company Diversey, has helped countless people improve their hygiene practices while also creating jobs and minimizing hotel-based soap waste. The program provides locals with a cold-press method that doesn’t need water or electricity and only takes ten minutes to recycle used soap from hotels into reconstituted bars. The newly made soap is then sent to communities that don’t have easy access to it or proper sanitation facilities.

travel-asia-now-self-sustainable-resort-vietnam-Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort — *Lakes throughout the resort collect rainwater to water Willow’s Garden and the trees, shrubs and grasses that cover about 60% of the resort’s grounds.*

Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort has 152 rooms and 83 villas. Its contemporary rooms, suites, and villas offer stunning views of the ocean, lush gardens, lakes, and swimming pools. Among its many world-class facilities are three restaurants, including a beach club, a swim-up bar, a coffee shop, a 20-treatment room spa, an executive lounge, ballroom and conference facilities, a kids club, a gymnasium, a gift shop, and more.